Day 1: Welcome to Amsterdam

The train station in Amsterdam was minutes, by foot, from our apartment. We were really glad we had light luggage because it was a walk up (no elevator) and we were on the 3rd floor. (Remember, in Europe, the ground floor is 0, so this really means 4th floor in USA speak.) We checked out our new digs, and settled in for an hour or so, checking out the wifi, the kitchen, etc. Then we went out to explore the neighborhood. We walked up and down several streets and then it started to drizzle. As we headed back toward the apartment, we decided that I would pick up a few simple groceries for the next few days, and some pastries from the coffee shop, while Marc went to the corner pizza shop and ordered and waited on a pizza for our dinner. I did not get the brownies in the window I had had my eye on. It went something like this.

Day 2: Anne Frank Museum

On the emotional side: Prepare yourself for this. I could barely speak by the time we left. Bring tissue.

On the practical side: Be prepared to walk a lot, stand a lot, and climb stairs. Buy your tickets online and print them out before your trip. The downside to this is that you must book a specific day and time. The upside: You will save time. We saw people wait more than 2-3 hours (in the rain) to get in. We know this because a lady in a bright red raincoat with ducks on it, was just entering as we were leaving and we had been inside well over 2 hours. Pretty sure she was the only tall redhead in a red raincoat with ducks on it in the vicinity.

Since we had purchased our tickets online, we walked past the super long “snaking around several buildings and across several side streets” line, past the main entrance. To the left of that entrance, there was a little window with a locked door beside it, for tours and times, and a little sign stating they didn’t sell tickets there. I was ignored until I held up my tickets. We had gone to the area early to eat lunch, shop, and explore the area, but we didn’t find as much to do in the area as we thought we would. We had a 5:30 pm tour time stamped on our tickets and we were ready before 2 pm. Hmmm, what to do? I explained to the nice lady at the counter that we were early and very jet-lagged as we had just arrived in Amsterdam. I went on to explain that were afraid we were going to fall asleep and miss our time if we went back to our apartment and came back. I asked if it was possible to go early. She smiled and said she needed to check the queue. 3 minutes later, we were buzzed through. I can not promise that this will happen, but if you find yourself in a similar situation, it may be worth a shot. Incredible walk through history. Again, bring tissue.

Day 3: Keukenhof ~ The Happy Place

After the emotional rollercoaster of the Anne Frank house, Keukenhof was the happy place. Flowers, windmills, great little cafes, huge Dutch shoes, and a giant human leapfrog pad, what more could one ask for? Again, we bought tickets online before our trip, so no standing in line once we got there. We probably saved 20-30 minutes or so by having our tickets in hand.